Packey Webb Ford
The Whole Town's Talking About the Webb Boys and the 50TH Anniversary Celebration of Packey Webb Ford
Is there anyone in Chicagoland who's not familiar with the Webb Boys' jingle "The Whole Town's Talking About the Webb Boys"? Probably not, but not many people are familiar with its origins.
It was the early 1980s. A bad recession, high inflation and astronomical interest rates threatened the survival of many car dealerships. A Ford dealer named Patrick "Packey" Webb who owned Ford dealerships in Wheaton and Highland, Indiana knew that if his dealerships were to survive, he needed to set them apart from the competition.
Packey Webb came up with the idea to advertise his family owned dealerships as the "Home of the Webb Boys!" His idea for the Webb Family Promise, part of the lyrics to the original full-sing verison of the jingle, were based on his commitment to his customers that they would get better value and better service at Packey Webb Ford in Wheaton and Webb Ford in Highland.
Since those days, the Webb Boys have moved their flagship Packey Webb Ford dealership to the corner of Ogden Avenue and Finley Road in Downers Grove. The dealership has been completely remodeled and at a recent employee meeting to kick off the start of their 50th anniversary, John Webb, a partner at Packey Webb Ford, redefined what the Webb Family Promise meant to employees and customers. Webb distributed wallet cards to every employee with the details.
The Webb Family Promise means that every employee is to provide EVERY customer with an exception experience EVERY time they interact with the dealership. For customers it means an exceptional experience when they purchase a vehicle, service their vehicle or buy a part is the dealership's number one goal.
Webb asked each employee to take a pledge to provide friendly, knowledgeable and personalized service to every customer and to treat every customer better than he or she expects to be treated. Webb went on to describe the process that the Webb Boys want used for every customer interaction. That process is to welcome the customer with a friendly and sincere greeting, discover the needs of each customer by listening and then directing them to the vehicle, service or part they need, thank the customer for their business and then invite them back as well as extend an invitation for satisfied customers to refer their friends, relatives and neighbors.
At the end of the meeting, Webb introduced a dealership mission statement that was printed on the back of the wallet cards that he had distributed to employees. It read: ONE MISSION/ONE PROMISE/ONE GOAL/ONE TEAM/ONE PACKEY WEBB FORD
Packey Webb Ford is located at 2150 W. Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove. For more information, contact John Webb at (630) 598-4700.
